Black cherry tomato: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you sow black cherry tomatoes under cover?
Sow your black cherry tomatoes under cover in spring, a few weeks ahead of planned planting. Timing depends on your climate and whether plants will grow in a greenhouse or outdoors. Provide warmth for emergence and strong light for seedlings: sowing too early in a dark room often produces weak plants.
Use pots with drainage holes or a tray filled with free-draining seed compost. Moisten it, distribute seeds and cover lightly according to the packet. Around 18 to 21 °C suits germination. Label the cultivar, particularly if sowing several cherry tomatoes of different colours.
Keep compost moist without saturating it. Remove any humidity-retaining cover once seedlings emerge and give plenty of light. Water gently without leaving water in a saucer. Maintain mild conditions afterwards, at least roughly 16 °C.
When two true leaves appear, move crowded seedlings to individual pots. Support roots and gently hold a leaf rather than the fragile stem. Continue growing under cover; moving outside needs hardening off, freedom from frost and consistently mild weather.
How do you plant black cherry tomatoes?
How to care for this plant
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Remove side shoots
Cherry tomatoes do not all need the same pruning. If you train an indeterminate variety on one or two stems, remove small shoots in the leaf axils that you do not want to keep. Retain flower trusses and your chosen stems. Do not routinely remove side shoots from a determinate bush cherry tomato or a plant you prefer to grow freely. Check the growth habit on the packet or label before pruning.
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Install plant supports
If your tomato variety needs support, fit a sturdy stake or string when planting. Tie the stem loosely and check ties as it grows. Bush varieties may not need staking.
When and how do you harvest black cherry tomatoes?
